Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has apologised for calling Prime Minister Scott Morrison a “hypocrite and a liar” in a leaked text message. But he said Australians cared more about geopolitical tensions, the pandemic, and infringements on religious freedom than the “intrigues of Canberra” which consumed news media reporting in the country this week.
Speaking to reporters in Sydney on Feb. 5, Joyce took full accountability for the texts while suggesting the media and political class cared more about the texts than the general public, who are more concerned about Russia and China.
